Portable document format (pdf) has become an industry-wide standard for electronic distribution of platform-independent files. The pdf format is defined by Adobe, such that pdf files may be viewed, navigated, and printed while retaining the content and format integrity of the original document.
Traditionally, pdf files were printed by opening the file using appropriate software, then printing the pdf file from within the software. The printing process involved a driver for a printer converting the pdf file to PostScript, PCL, or another page description language. The PostScript, PCL, or other page description language was then sent to the printer.
Some modern printers are able to interpret pdf files. For such printers, the printer driver may be bypassed when printing pdf files. The pdf files may be sent directly to a printer for printing. Sending the pdf file directly to the printer results in a more efficient method for printing the pdf file. However, this method does not allow the output of the printer to be formatted in any way aside from the formatting included in the pdf file.